Objective To study the clinical features,pathological characteristics and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma(RCC)in young adults,and to improve the recognition of RCC in young population. Methods The data of 35 young patients with RCC under the age of 35 years from August 1983 to June 2005 were analyzed retrospectively.There were 22 males and 13 females with a mean age of 31 years(age range, 19-35 years).The clinical presentations were as follows:painless hematuria in 12 cases(34%),low back pain in 12(34%),abdominal mass in 2(6%),fever in 3 and Stauffer syndrome in 1.The tumor size was 1.2-13.8 cm in diameter(mean,6.0cm).AJCC staging showed stage I tumor in 8 cases,stageⅡin 4, stageⅢin 18 and stageⅣin 5.Of the 35 cases,28 underwent radical nephrectomy(including simultaneous extraction of the vena cava emboli in 3 cases and extraction with pulmonary lobectomy in 1);5 cases under- went partial nephrectomy;and 2 cases lost the chance of operation(1 of them had biopsy).Results The operations were successful.The postoperative pathologic diagnoses consisted of clear cell carcinoma in 23 ca- ses,mixed cell carcinoma in 5,papillary cell carcinoma in 2,and chromophobe cell carcinoma in 2,low-dif- ferentiated and undifferentiated cell carcinoma each in 1.Of them,26 cases were followed for 12-148 months(mean,56 months).Postoperative 3-and 5-year survival rates were 65% and 50%,respectively. Conclnsions In young population,RCC is difficult to diagnose because of occult symptoms at early stage and lack of tumor specificity,which leads to relatively late clinical staging at diagnosis.RCC is characterized by higher malignancy,easy invasion to surrounding tissues and metastasis,and thus poor prognosis.

A series of valproic acid salicylanilide esters were designed and synthesized based on the principle of prodrug. The structures of the target compounds were confirmed by MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. Anti-tumor activities of these compounds against K562, A549, A431 cells in vitro were investigated by MTT assay and SRB assay. The results indicated that the compounds 6h-6j were found to have stronger cell growth inhibitory action than gefitinib, and comparable to niclosamide, which are worth to be intensively studied further.

AIM: To quantitatively investigate transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) and its receptors in normal bulbar conjunctival tissues and pterygium tissues. METHODS: Thirty cases of pterygium patients were randomly selected to undergo surgical resection of pterygium lesion, and the normal margin of bulbar con-junctival tissues were collected as control. Gene expres-sion was detected quantitatively by the method of quantitative real-time PCR (QRT-PCR) analysis. RESULTS: The expression level of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 was 4.26×10-7±1.45×10-7 and 1.08×10-10±0.68×10-10 in normal bulbar conjunctival tissues, while 10.67×10-7±7.47×10-7 and 8.23×10-11±6.63×10-11 in pterygium tissues. The expression level of TGF-βRⅠand TGF-βRⅡwas 0.003015±0.0036 and 5.33×10-5±5.05×10-5in normal bulbar conjunctival tissues, while 0.000379±0.000281 and 1.002×10-5±9.04×10-6 in pterygium tissues. The expression level of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 in pterygium was elevated (P<0.01). TGF-β1 expression level in pterygium increase 2.9±2.8 times than in normal conjunctiva. TGF-β2 expression level in pterygium increase 7.5±1.4 times than in normal conjunctiva. The expression level of TGF-βRⅠin pterygium was significantly lower (P<0.05). The expression level of TGF-βRII in pterygium was significantly lower (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: QRT-PCR is an effective method to quantitatively detect gene expression in eye. The upregulation of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 and downregulation of their receptors expression may play an important role in the pathogenesis of pterygium, which is noteworthy further investigation in diagnosis and treatment of pterygium.real-time PCR; gene expression

Objective To discuss the operative technical details in reducing complications after thyroid diseases reoperation, especially how to choose operative method and preserve laryngeal recurrent nerve and parathyroid gland. Methods The study protocols of 183 patients undergoing reoperation for thyroid disease from Jan. 2000 to Mar. 2009 were reviewed. There were 115 cases of benign and 68 cases of malignant thyroid diseases to observe the postoperative complications. Results The rates of temporary and permanent laryngeal recurrent nerve injury were 4.92% (9/183) and 1.64% (3/183), respectively. The rates of temporary and permanent hypocalcemia were 4.37% (8/183) and 0.55% (1/183), respectively. The rate of postoperative internal hemorrhage was 0.55%(1/183). Conclusions The thyroid reoperation was more difficult and can seduced a high rate surgical complication. The thyroid reoperation can be successfully performed if the operators could pay attention to the operative skill.

With the development of natural products, the research activities on the solubilization methods of water-insoluble natural products have been carried out worldwide. Big molecular weight and poor solubility of most natural active ingredients lead to a very poor oral absorption and low bioavailability, which has extremely limited their development in pharmaceutical fields and clinical application. As a result, it is necessary to find out a suitable technique to improve the solubility and enhance the oral bioavailability of insoluble natural drugs. Based on the related references published in these years, this review introduced some new techniques to improve the solubility and bioavailability of natural drugs, including prodrugs, inclusion complex, solid dispersion, cocrystals, osmotic pump, liquisolid compacts, micronization, self-microemulsifying, nanosuspensions, lipsomes, polymeric micelles and so on, and summarized the theory, characteristics, application range, application examples, problems and development direction of each technique.
Administration, Oral ; Biological Availability ; Biological Products ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; trends ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; trends ; Water

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of ethyl acetate extract of Huanglian Jiedu decoction (EAHD) on hyphae development of Candida albicans.

METHODInverted microscope, fluorescence microscope, SEM were applied to inspect the Morphological change of C. albicans treated by EAHD at different concentrations. Solid agar plate was utilized to evaluate the colony morphology. Quantitative Real-ime PCR(qRT-PCR) was adopted to observe the expression of hyphae-specific genes such as HWP1, ALS3, UME6, CSH1, SUN41, CaPDE2.

RESULTEAHD with concentration of 312 and 1 250 mg . L-1 could inhibit formation of hyphae and colony morphology. The expression of HWP1, ALS3, UME6, CSH1 were downregulated 4. 13, 3. 64, 2. 46, 2. 75 folds ,while the expression of SUN41 were upregulated 7. 26 folds, CaPDE2 keep unchanged.

CONCLUSIONEAHD could inhibit formation of hyphae and colony morphologies of C. albicans through downregulating HWP1, ALS3, UME6 and CSH1.

Acetates ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Candida albicans ; cytology ; drug effects ; genetics ; growth & development ; Down-Regulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal ; drug effects ; Hyphae ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Ferulic acid, an useful compound of Chinese traditional medicine, was used as leading compound. Six ferulic acid derivatives were designed and synthesized based on bioisosterism. Their structures were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and mass spectra. In vivo experiment showed that ferulic acid derivatives had good inhibitory effects on adenosine diphosphate (ADP) induced platelet aggregation, which were significantly higher than that of Ozagrel.

Objective To review the safety and efficacy of upper-pole access percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Methods From May 2008 to May 2010,237 cases ( 135 males and 102 females with mean age of 42 yrs) of renal or proximal ureteral calculi treated with upper-pole access PCNL were reviewed.The indications included calculus larger than 1.5 cm or impacted proximal ureteral calculi in 94 cases,calculus≥2 cm or impacted renal pelvic calculi in 26 cases,staghorn or multiple calculi in 68 cases,complex lower calyx calculi in 13 cases,upper calyx calculi not amenable to ESWL or URS in 12 cases,calculi within upper calyx diverticulum in 3 cases,combined UPJ obstruction or upper ureteral stenosis in 8 cases,morbidly obese patients in 3 cases,calculi within horseshoe kidneys in 6 cases,calculi within transplanted kidneys or ureters in 4 cases.Of the 237 cases,175 tracts (73.8％) were above the 12th rib,46were above the 11th rib,12 were below the 12th rib,4 were in the lower abdomen for renal transplant patients. Results The overall stone clearance rate with upper-pole access PCNL monotherapy was 74.3％.Additional punctures were required in 55 cases and combined ESWL in 6 cases.Total stone clearance rate at 3 months after operation was 88.2％.16 patients (6.8％) had a pleural injury.Thoracentesis was required in 8 patients,closed thoracic drainage in 5 patients,conservative treatment in 3 patients.After nephrostomy tube removed,pleural irritation symptom appeared in 12 cases (5.1％) who required symptomatic treatment.No patient had injury to the lung or other viscera.Significant bleeding requiring blood transfusion was olserved in 5 patients,while selective renal arterial embolization was required in 2 cases. Conclusions Upper-pole access offers optimal visibility,convenience for the movement of rigid nephroscope and high stone-free rate.It should be attempted in selected cages of upper ureteral calculi and complex renal calculi.

Objective To study the locations, types and causes of different pseudoaneurysms in order to find out the optimal individualized treatment for different pseudoaneurysms. Methods Different methods were applied in treating 21 patients with pseudoaneurysm, which were located at limb (n = 11 ), spleen (n =3), kidney (n = 2) , common lilac artery (n = 1), internal iliac artery (n = 1), gallbladder (n = 1) and penis (n = 1 ). Different managements were employed in treating these pseudoaneurysms. Temporary obstruction of blood circulation with balloon together with arterial anastomosis or direct incision neoplasty was performed in 9 cases with pseudoaneurysms at limb arteries close to the larger joints. Endovascular stent graft was used to isolate the trunk type of pseudoaneurysm in 4 cases, in 2 of them branch arterial embolism and stent graft endovascular exclusion were applied as they had common iliae artery trunk type of pseudoaneurysm at the opening of internal iliac artery. Gelfoam together with metallic coils embolization was employed in 6 cases with terminal type of pseudoaneurysms. Results After different treatments, tumor cavities disappeared in the 21 cases with pseudoaneurysms. Distal arterial pulse returned to normal and no nerve damage occurred in 11 cases with limb pseudoaneurysms. No internal hemorrhage was observed and distal blood circulation returned to normal after graft endovascular exclusion in 2 eases with pseudoaneurysms at spleen artery trunk and in 2 cases with pseudoaneurysms at iliac artery trunk. In 6 cases with terminal type of pseudoaneurysms,the tumor cavity disappeared, hemorrhage stopped and no ischemic necrosis of organ occurred. But one of them with multiple traumatic pseudoaneurysms located at the second grade branch died one week after embolism due to a serious pelvic trauma accompanied with serious infection. Conclusion Based on the locations, types and causes of pseudoaneurysms, different individualized treatment should be adopted in order to obtain optimal results with least damages.

OBJECTIVETo determine butylidenephthalide in Ligusticum Chuanxiong with RP-HPLC.

METHODThe sample was extracted with methanol using sonication. The ESTD was used to quantify butylidenephthalide. HPLC separation was carried out in a Hypersil ODS columm (4.6 mm x 150 mm, 5 microm) , eluted at 1 mL x min(-1) with methanol-5% isopropyl alcohol (60: 40) at 25 degrees C. The detection wavelength was 230 nm.

RESULTThe linear range was 0.07-0.7 microg for butylidenephthalide. The average recovery was 95.3%, and RSD was 2.3% (n =6).

CONCLUSIONThis method was simple and could be used to determine butylidenephthalide with satisfactory accuracy and reproducibility.

China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; instrumentation ; methods ; Light ; Ligusticum ; chemistry ; Phthalic Anhydrides ; analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Scattering, Radiation